The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1918. REVOLUTION BECOMING FASHIONABLE.

Taihape Daily Times, 15 November 1918, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1918. REVOLUTION BECOMING FASHIONABLE.

(With which is Incorporated The Taihape Post and Walnmsiao News)..

It was stated by Sir Joseph' Ward that there would be plenty of ships coming to New Zealand to carry away the accumulated stores of meat, butter and cheese that now lie in cold stores. This is of itself pleasant reading, but it- means much more, for it s also indicates that our men in various. ..sceries of war are to be repatriated as soon as possible, j. This Dominion .is languishing_for want .of .men to work the hundreds of thousands of acres of highly productive soil, that are' only now being skimmed. , There Is room, for six times the number of men that are coming back from the war in the near future. It is essential that present stores of exportable food should be got away to starving Europe at the earliest date, but it is also .immeasurably more . important that | more, and still more should. be proj duced. Sir Joseph Ward makes s'tateI ments that are calculated to raise feelings of false security; he says I that New Zealand will be as well off, I or better off, than any other part of the Empire, but what does it profit ! the people of this Dominion to be betj ter situated than Britain,' France or Italy, if the most fortunate amongst I us are needlessly toiling and striving I and starving under crushing" taxation. |A'yo'ung ( country like New Zealand | should liave nothing to do with the ' drifters who thank God they are no ! worse off than some less fortunate I community. The people have been I told by their politicians they have"not been subjected to profiteering because : they are no worse off than the people ; in countries where the war has been raging; what this country expects from its politicians is, that it shall be no worse off than it has any occasion to be. When Mr. Massey, or any other political farmer is convinced that he will have to reduce his stock rather drastically unless he breaks up some of his land and grows winter feed, he doesn't hesitate, but in politics he acts quite differently; no matter how the country's liabilities increase no matter how drastic the conditions that are going to compel reduction of population, or, if that is not practicable or possible except by starvation, he just tells the starving people they are no worse off than the people in Timbuctoo. We wish to bring home to New Zealanders that they are just as much the victims of greed as those people In England, who, Sir Auckland Geddes was surprised had not forced a revolution years ago. No greater insult can be offered than to wave the voice of the people aside with the story that they are no worse off than others. Such tales have no bearing whatever on the subject and peeple are pure simpletons to be gulled with them. ~Producers are frequently being told that the national debt has rushed up to appalling figures, but have they once j been told, or been asked to figure out what taxation they will have to pay in connection therewith? Have they been told what steps are being taken to increase the number of burden-bearers so as to make the load lighter; are the managers of the country going to farm more winter feed or are they going to ' gruitf j"Nitchevo" (let her rip) ? TEe pf the Government has been one of pure exigency; they have drifted along without, plan or policy, just dealing with' matters, simple and complex, as they arose, but it should be obvious as the day of our taxation "Scda4" draws nearer some definite plan for. mitigating the disaster should

be in operation. Th© silence of those. who can pay, and who will • have to \ pay the bulk of taxation is not understandable. Many of them have gone on storing and stacking away all they could get in the good times regardless of the sign written across the heavens that the incidence of taxation is also to have its revolution. The peoples of the world are decreeing that money for administration, wars, and suchlike is not going, to be levied per human head as, in the past, but on the pound sterling, or its value possessed. There is no avoidance of the coming taxation, unless, of course, Mr. Massey and Sir Joseph Ward are optimistic- about their ability ty> persuade the Peace Conference into compelling Germany into indemnifying- New Zealand for every penny spent on the war; some people .are foolish enough to clutch at the moon. This country has to produce the., commodities in such increased quantity as is commensurate wiTTi the increased demand of the tax collector; the Minister of Finance has stated in the House am out of the House that the money can only be forthcoming through enormously increased productoin, and yet there is not a finger raised by ticians or people. Plenty of ships are coming to New Zealand to take stored produce away: thos'e ships will return to this country close upon one hundred thousand men. but about where the men are going or what they are to do when they get here deponent" is deadly silent. The masses in this country are noting with keenest interest the end of kings and capitalism in older countries; their ears have listened to Sir Auckland Geddes' expression of surprise that revolution did not take place in Britain years ago; they are having it demonstrated that revolutions can bn bloodless; they are being told that they are no worse off than other countries, which ; they are taking to mean that they are just as badly, or worse, off, and, sequentially, that there is as much need for revolution here as there is elsewhere. The Government may be only capable of doing one thing at a time, and seeing one thing at a time, and until that is disposed of can do nothing else, but why will not producers take definite action to increase, their, numbers, to meet the changing conditions? This couhtry has no. further concern about the war,; but it should; be very deeply concerne<Ljibput how the resultant taxation -is. ,to- .be .met., The day has arrived when must think and act for themselves, when disaster must result in trusting kings (crowned or otherwise), political bosses, and capitalistic rings. We are anxious that every producer should have a clear understanding about the future he is drifting into.